Categories: uncategorized
Date: 06 February 2008 22:31:44
Last year during Lent I gave up the Internet. Or at least, I more or less did until I started getting complete withdrawl, when a conversation along the following lines ensued:
Me: I shall not look at the Internet. I know I want to, but I'm trying to spend the time I would spend on the internet doing a mix of work and contemplation and reading.
Devil: But don't you think that you really want to, and that's more important?
Me: Dammit, you're right.
(ee starts furiously clicking away on Facebook)
And thus did my fast come to a dishonourable end.
I do actually think that Lent is brilliant. It is. My own church won't celebrate it, probably won't even mention it, because of that 'treat every day the same' verse in Paul's writings, and because we're so hung up on not earning our salvation that we reject disciplines that can deepen our relationship with God. (That verse, by the way, was used by the puritans for banning Christmas, except funnily enough we do still celebrate that.) But I think that Lent is brilliant because it encourages us to focus on God for a moderate length of time.
This year I've decided not to give anything up in order to do that, as I'm going through a rather difficult (though in many ways wonderful) time at the moment, and God is ministering his grace partly through wine and chocolate. So I've decided to write a Lenten blog instead, in much the same way as I did an Advent blog a year or so ago, also at a tough time. I'll try and make it spiritually honest but not too navel gazing. Other people's navels are nicer to look at than mine, which always has blue fluff hemmed in by hair.
p.s. Has anybody else noticed that my internet alias is also the name of one of the Tombilboos in 'In the Night Garden'? I'm pleased to say that Eee is my daughter's favourite Tombliboo.